Dam safety rules and regulations

Part 315, Dam Safety, regulates dams that are six feet or greater in height and impound five or more acres of water.  Key responsibilities for owners of Part 315 regulated dams include:

• Notification to EGLE and affected public safety officials of any circumstances that may affect the safety of the dam.
• Obtain permits from EGLE to accomplish repairs and modifications of the dam as necessary.
• Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) are required for high and significant hazard dams.
• Submission of periodic inspection reports conducted by a licensed engineer that evaluates the dam’s structural condition and hydraulic adequacy.
• Low hazard dams require an inspection report to be submitted every five years.
• Significant hazard dams require an inspection report to be submitted every four years.
• High hazard dams require an inspection report to be submitted every three years.

Inspection reports must be prepared, signed, and sealed by a professional engineer licensed in Michigan. Requirements for submitted inspection reports and permitting procedures are further outlined in Part 315 Rules established by section 57 of Act of 300 of the Public Acts of 1989.

Part 307, Inland Lake Levels, regulates dams when a circuit court issues an order establishing the elevation at which a lake is to be maintained. Establishing a legal lake level provides a mechanism where all property owners who benefit from the lake share the cost of repairs and maintenance for the dam, and designates an authority (such as County Board of Commissioners or County Drain Commissioner) to be responsible for maintaining the established legal lake level.

Structures regulated under Part 307 are required to submit an inspection report conducted by a licensed engineer that evaluates the dam’s structural condition and hydraulic adequacy every three years. The inspection report template for dams that are regulated only under Part 307 can be found below. If a dam is regulated under both Part 315 and Part 307, an inspection report must be submitted every three years and meet the inspection report requirements of Part 315.

• Part 307 Inspection Report Form (PDF)
• Part 307 Inspection Report Form (Word)

More information regarding the process to establish a legal lake level under Part 307, advantages and disadvantages of having a legal level, and other considerations can be found here: Procedures for Stabilizing Inland Lake Levels Under Part 307

Licensed hydroelectric dams are regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) under the Federal Power Act. Michigan has 92 dams that are regulated by FERC.